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Monday, May 9, 2011

Pakistan Struck a Deal with U.S. 10 Years Ago About Osama

Guardian U.K. is reporting that US and Pakistan struck a secret deal almost a decade ago permitting a US operation against Osam-Bin-Laden on Pakistani soil similar to last week's raid that killed the al-Qaida leader.
The deal was struck between the General Perveez Musharraf and President Bush after Bin Laden escaped US forces in the mountains of Tora Bora in late 2001, according to serving and retired Pakistani and US officials.
Under its terms, Pakistan would allow US forces to conduct a unilateral raid inside Pakistan in search of Bin Laden, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Afterwards, both sides agreed that Pakistan would deny the whole episode for local consumption.
"There was an agreement between Bush and Musharraf that if we knew where Osama was, we were going to come and get him," said a former senior US official with knowledge of counter terrorism operations. "The Pakistanis would put up a hue and cry, but they wouldn't stop us."
On Tuesday when interviewed by CNN General Musharraf reiterated that Pakistan's sovereignty was violated by United States and "if U.S. knew that he was in Pakistan then they should have informed Pakistan Military, and they would have caught him."
Today Pakistan PM Yusaf Raza Gilani said to parliament "Allegations of complicity or incompetence are absurd," he said. "We didn't invite Osama-Bin-Laden to Pakistan." He also warned Washington that future unilateral strikes could be met with "full force". This comes one week after Bin-Laden was killed. He offered no explanation to the fact that Osama was living in compound half a mile away from the Military Academy in Abbottabad, instead he pointed finger at U.S. for supporting Talibans in 1980's.
Many have been baffled at the presence of Osama in Pakistan, and according to Pakistani official he had been there for last six years. Pakistan has a very sophisticated army which is trained to protect Pakistan's borders against India. This is the only believable explanation